Device and method for forming a product that imitates properties of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy products, or products derived therefrom

Abstract

The present invention is related to a method for the manufacture of a product that imitates properties of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy products such as cheese or yoghurt, or products derived therefrom, comprising the step of dosing and depositing a first and optionally a second material onto a surface, preferably in a cavity (19), of a product carrier (16), preferably a mold, wherein at least one said first material and second material comprises a protein, preferably a vegetable protein, insect protein, cell protein including single cell protein, such as of yeast, bacteria, microalgae, fungi, fermented products, mold and the like, or a mixture of different proteins, wherein the protein content in the dry raw materials is 35 to 90%, preferably greater than 50% and is particularly preferably in the range from 60% to 90%.

1 . A method for the manufacture of a product that imitates properties of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy products, or products derived therefrom, comprising the steps:
 a) dosing and depositing a first material onto a surface of a product carrier, so as to obtain a first deposit in a desired shape;   b) solidifying said first deposit so that the first deposit has a self-containing structure;   c) releasing said product from said product carrier, so as to obtain said product that imitates properties of meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and seafood, and products derived therefrom;   wherein said first material comprises a protein, or a mixture of different proteins, wherein the protein content in the dry raw materials is 35 to 90%.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises, before step b) or e), the steps of
 dosing and depositing a second material onto or into a product support of said product carrier so as to obtain a second deposit in a desired shape, wherein said step of dosing and depositing said second material is performed simultaneously with the step of dosing and depositing said first material, or after the step of depositing or solidifying said first deposit.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , dosing and deposition of at least one of the first and second material is carried out with a depositing machine having:
 at least one tank which contains said at least one of the first and second material for deposition and which is equipped with a stirring device for stirring said material in said tank;   a depositing assembly which is located below the tank and comprises at least one row of pistons which perform an intake cycle, so as to draw said material out of said tank-( 7 ), and an exhaust cycle, so as to expel the drawn material; and at least one dispensing device which rotates between a first position, so as to receive the material that has been drawn by the pistons, and a second position which enables an outflow of the material that is expelled by the pistons;   a motor for rotating the dispensing device;   actuation means for moving the pistons in a reciprocal manner, wherein the actuation means are releasably connected to the pistons; and   a machine frame which carries the motor and comprises two arms which project along respective parallel horizontal axes and are equipped with the actuation means;   wherein the tank and the depositing assembly form part of a module which is removable in one piece from the machine frame, and the module is releasably connected to the motor and is equipped with a further frame, and the further frame in the machine frame is fastened by way of a plug-in connection which is disposed in a substantially horizontal manner.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , dosing and deposition of at least one of the first and second material is carried out by extruding said material(s) into said cavity. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said product carrier is a mold which is made of a food-grade material to which the material to be processed does not adhere. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said dosing and deposition of at least one of the first and second material is carried out such that a desired pattern is formed. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said method is carried out in a plant comprising a plurality of modules in which product provided on or in a product support, preferably inte a cavity, of said product carrier can be processed and/or transported, wherein at least some of the modules comprise a processing device, the modules each have a module frame, the a length of the module being the same as or a multiple of a smallest module length,
 wherein the modules are designed in such a way that they can be connected or are connected to adjacent modules in the a longitudinal direction, at least one module having at least one transport device for transporting said product carriers in a linear movement along a transport direction.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , said plant comprises rails that are fixable on a floor and have a rail profile, and the modules have wheels which have a wheel profile complementary to the rail profile. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein said plant comprises a drive system comprising two push bars arranged parallel to each other and having drivers, and an electric linear drive for moving the push bars in the transport direction, and at least one vertical drive for a vertical movement of the push bars. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein a the plant comprises at least two pairs of rails and at least one module which is formed as a traverse module and connects the two pairs of rails. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 7  the plant comprises as processing device a depositing machine or an extruder, a cooling station, a compression module, a demolding station, and a compression module. 
     
     
         12 . A product that imitates properties of meat, poultry, fish and seafood, and products derived therefrom, obtained by the method according to  claim 1 , wherein said product is derived from
 a raw material comprising a protein, or a mixture of different proteins, wherein the protein content in the dry raw materials is 35 to 90%.   
     
     
         13 . The product according to  claim 12 , wherein the product has a protein content in the range from 15-30 wt.-% and a liquid content, of 45-70 wt.-%. 
     
     
         14 .The product according to  claim 12 , wherein the product has a textured structure obtainable by deposition of the material in a desired pattern. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein dosing and deposition of at least one of the first and second material is carried out with a depositing machine having:
 at least one tank which contains said at least one of the first and second material for deposition and which is equipped with a stirring device for stirring said material in said tank;   a depositing assembly which is located below the tank and comprises at least one row of pistons which perform an intake cycle, so as to draw said material out of said tank, and an exhaust cycle, so as to expel the drawn material; and at least one dispensing device which rotates between a first position, so as to receive the material that has been drawn by the pistons, and a second position which enables an outflow of the material that is expelled by the pistons;   a motor for rotating the dispensing device;   actuation means for moving the pistons in a reciprocal manner, wherein the actuation means are releasably connected to the pistons; and   a machine frame which carries the motor and comprises two arms which project along respective parallel horizontal axes and are equipped with the actuation means;   wherein the tank and the depositing assembly form part of a module which is removable in one piece from the machine frame, and the module is releasably connected to the motor and is equipped with a further frame, and the further frame in the machine frame is fastened by way of a plug-in connection which is disposed in a substantially horizontal manner.   
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein dosing and deposition of at least one of the first and second material is carried out by extruding said material(s). 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein said product carrier is a mold which is made of a food-grade material to which the material to be processed does not adhere. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein said dosing and deposition of at least one of the first and second material is carried out such that a desired pattern is formed. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein said method is carried out in a plant comprising a plurality of modules in which product provided on or in a product support of said product carrier can be processed and/or transported, wherein at least some of the modules comprise a processing device, the modules each have a module frame, a length of the module being the same as or a multiple of a smallest module length,
 wherein the modules are designed in such a way that they can be connected or are connected to adjacent modules in a longitudinal direction, at least one module having at least one transport device for transporting said product carriers in a linear movement along a transport direction.   
     
     
         20 . A product that imitates properties of meat, poultry, fish and seafood, and products derived therefrom, obtained by the method according to  claim 2 , wherein said product is derived from
 a raw material comprising a protein, or a mixture of different proteins, wherein the protein content in the dry raw materials is 35 to 90%.